Want to keep an eye on your kids? Not too long ago, you might buy one of those hilarious baby-leashes to keep them close at hand. Now, you can enlist some savvy tech to help out—just take a look at Filip Technologies, which makes a kids’ smartwatch that tracks their location and can connect parents to their little ones in an instant by phone.

Just a few years ago, plenty of aspiring hardware entrepreneurs would have hit a wall when payoff-conscious investors declined to bankroll their expensive ideas. Today, upstarts like the Pebble smartwatch and the Formlabs 3D printer can turn to crowdfunding sites and manufacturing specialists like Dragon Innovation to make their dreams happen.

You’ll hear from the CEOs and founders of all of these companies and plenty more at The Hardtech Revolution on Dec. 9. It’s a half-day, afternoon forum that packs in the insights and doesn’t waste your time with fluff or paid speakers, and includes plenty of networking time and a post-event reception.